Elizabeth Warren on Free Trade

Strong export economy means influence around the world

Our economic power at home is linked to our strength around the world. A strong economy at home enables us to have the best-trained and most advanced military in the world--and the standing in the world such that we don't always need to use it.
A strong economy at home enables us to export goods to foreign customers. A strong economy at home gives us influence over events occurring all around the world. And a strong economy at home enables us to spread the values of democracy and human rights.
We are one of the most powerful countries in the history of the world precisely because we are one of the strongest economies in the history of the world.

As a Senator, I will never forget the link between our economic power and our global power, and I will fight to make sure we build a strong economy, so we can remain a powerful force for good around the world.

Key is fair, enforceable agreements that protect workers

6/23/2015
Tariffs today are generally low. As a result, modern trade agreements are less about reducing tariffs and more about writing new rules for everything from labor, health, and environmental standards to food safety, prescription drug access, and copyright

Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Warren OpEd in Boston Globe
, Jun 23, 2015

Against a Pacific Trade Deal that only works for rich

Warren and the progressive left, scarred by trade deals past like the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, have launched a vocal fight against granting the president so-called "fast-track" authority to negotiate a 12-country Pacific trade
deal. "Are you ready to fight? No more secret deals. No more special deals for multi-national corporations. Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to fight any more deals that say we're going to help the rich get richer and leave everyone else behind?"

Source: National Public Radio on 2016 Veepstakes
, Apr 22, 2015

No secrecy in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations

[Regarding] the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), many proponents of the agreements argue that negotiations need to take place in secret in order to protect the fragile interests of participating countries. This has not sat well with public interest
groups and more liberal members of the Democratic Party, including Warren.

Last year, she went to far as to vote against Obama's then-nominee for the head of the Office of the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, because of that lack of
transparency as the 10 countries involved in the TPP discuss terms. "I have heard the argument that transparency would undermine the Trade Representative's policy to complete the trade agreement because public opposition would be significant," she
said. "In other words, if people knew what was going on, they would stop it. This argument is exactly backwards. If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be US policy."

Make things & sell things to the rest of the world

We need a 21st century manufacturing base and expanded service capacity. We need a set of workable rules that don't tangle up those who are trying to create something new.
We need to be able to invent things, make things, and sell things to the rest of the world. We did that once, and we can do it again.

Fair trade respecting worker rights and environment

Fair trade: If we are going to sell our products to the rest of the world, we need to strengthen trade laws and ensure their enforcement.
We need to make sure that those we compete with also respect workers' rights and environmental rules.